On The Meds

OK I'm kidding... mostly. See, while I am off my Happy Fun Pills, I am NOT off my "For-The-Love-Of-All-Things-Holy-OWIE!" pain killers. Unlike sadness and depression, chronic pain and missing-bits-of-spine don't go away.

Which is a shame, but still.

See, in my garden, I have a plant I've mentioned before. I'm not going into the SATAN of all plants, but if you're bored, have a google for Japanese Knotweed. I have that. Lots and lots of that.

I had to contact DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) about the plant after being bounced from council, environment agencies, departments for this, that and the other. DEFRA are a nice group - they are the ones that deal with the nice stuff, Foot & Mouth, Bluetongue, Avian Flu... All the good stuff.

Oh, and now, Knotweed.

I had to leave the garden while they investigated and looked into it as it's a bitch. Once you have it, you have it. Anyway, a nice lady called me this morning and said as long as I don't dump it, shred it, landfill it or anything else, I can rip that fecker up. Of course, to get to it, we had to get the tribe of pygmys to allow us to hack through the grass jungle. So me and the boy hacked, and mowed, and strimmed, and piled... Took us three hours, but we found various things, most importantly, the gravel and the lawn:


OK, to put this in perspective - the shed at the end of my garden was all but hidden. The metal washing-line-pole was missing. Of course, it's not tidy by a long shot yet. There's actually a PATH on my lawn but it's well grown over. And no, I still don't have a fence. And yes, the rear-neighbours do have a pool. And yes, the house on the right has a lovely garden. If you look carefully, that pile of GREEN next to my shed - that's the stack of knotweed that was covering the lower half of the garden.

And to give you an idea of this weed... See the fence panel on the left of my garden? See the green plant growing next to it? THAT, my friends, is knotweed. Mine wasn't quite that tall, but still - that is 5 weeks of growth. That's a seven-foot tall fence panel. Still not impressed? Go right, to the paved garden, and go to the end of their garden where it backs onto the people behind... See the green behind their shed and their neighbour? Yeah, that's it too. That's how far it's spread. It's two or three doors to the left and right, and one garden back.

Here is a detailed artist impression of what my garden looked like before we used MANLY skills on it.


Actually, I am quite impressed by the depth in that image. My art skills are clearly improving. But that pretty much summed up my garden. Sally could go out there and vanish in the grass. I had to wear my big clumpy boots incase I found a snake out there. *shudder*

But anyway, to the subject at hand. I am now sitting with fluffy-leg sensation, and am listening to very loud music and waiting for the Mother F'king pain to jump on the bus and get outta Dan Town. Head Meds - gone. Back Meds - My Friends.

Germs, Water, Stress, Travel...

Being that the school is currently on half-term break, and being that I was poorly last week, the kids routine was all over the place once again.

I ended up with a stinking cold that left me completely exhausted. I literally spent four or five days just flopped out on the sofa. On the bright side, I watched the first two seasons of House MD, the first season of Extras, a couple of monster movies (which I previously ranted about), and caught up on some other films I'd not seen in a while.

The kids came back on Sunday... Or was it Saturday... Hmm... Anyways, we had a lot of laughs, running around playing and doing stuff. The weather was a bit grey over the weekend, but Sunday was evil rain hammering down out the sky.

So me and Kellie decided I should take the kids to hers, stay the night, and chill out. She has two kids, a 10 year old boy and a 6 year old girl, and they all pretty much got on. However, getting to hers was... Interesting. Monday was wet, dare I say wetter than the rest of the weekend. The three of us heading to the bus stop meant we got soaked. Then waiting for the bus, I put the kids in a phone box while I went from Soaked to Really Soaked.

Thankfully, it stopped raining once we got off at the other end, but there was a catch. Kellie lives on Canvey Island, a place prone to the occasional flood. And flood it did. The worst flooding in several years, apparently. It even made the front page of all the local papers.

Of course, being that it's lower than sea level, flooding is a given. Still, it could have been worse. Anyway - walking from the bus to Kellies, the kids pretty much waded the whole way. Sure, they could have walked around, but, well... kids ;)

Still, had a great time there, the kids marauded around, girls doing painting and colouring, the boys on the playstation - and finding any excuse to go outside and play in the "puddles".

Getting home, I had a couple of debt collectors turn up on the door which was nice... So had to pay them. Which was nice... Then went to Cels house where a power cut had messed with her computer. So I had to fix that. Her computer is a complete bitch, and a five minute job took nearly an hour. Gah! And between paying money, fixing computers, I received some news that my brain wasn't sure how to process, so I ended up puking all evening instead.

Which was nice...

On the bright side, I woke up this morning feeling much better. Germs are gone, I'm dry and warm, and while my stomach is all knotted from being sick for eight hours, I feel fine and good. Stress does funny things to me. Not sure I can go into it here, not yet anyways, so will be hanging fire before going into that.

Thankfully, it wasn't a bug. I felt fine until my tummy decided to evacuate, and then felt fine again. I'm not thankful it wasn't a bug for any real reason - except A) I didn't make my kids ill, B) I didn't make Kellie and her kids ill, and more importantly, C) I'm not going to be ill to go away for the weekend.

Ooooh I can't wait!

Yuck!

It's not often I will do The British Thing and blog about the weather (*ahem*) but I felt today being the way it is, I would do The British Thing...

And moan.

See, this morning at half past six when I woke up and clambered over the nine year old, clambered over the dog and clambered over the cat, I looked outside to see the garden flooded in sunlight. "YAY" was the first word that came to mind.

Eight o' clock rolls around, the sky darkens, and the the clouds open up. By 08:20 is was torrential - I know because that's when I had to leave on the school run. By the time I got to Ruths I was wet. By the time I got to the school is was running on the inside of my coat.

Once home I peeled off the clothes and everything - coat, tee shirt, jeans, boxers and socks - all soaked. And my hair is still wringing wet. And I'm cold.

So it's me, a cuppa, some chocolate, and my hairdryer at the desk. Poxy bloody weather. Even the webcam is hating the rain as it's auto-focus is trying to see the drops of rain on the window.

I'm not sure if I should blame a certain Aussie Wench for her rain she moaned about yesterday, a friend living locally for having a bad morning and making it rain, or for me thinking YAY at half six...

Brrr!

I woke up at half eight this morning wondering why my little cocoon of duvet and sleeping bag wasn't keeping me warm...


Ah. Right you are then. Best put the heating back on..

Positive

It occurs to me that I haven't updated today, and perhaps the fact I haven't is a good thing.

The weather forecast today was for "storm of the century" and similar tags, and people have been worried sick. Considering we're only 8 years in, a blustry day could be "storm of the century" but whatever. The weather is the least of my worries OR interests at the moment.

Well, it seems that the country is panicked over some wind and rain. I got cold, I got wet. It's winter - deal with it. Trees down? That's what the wind does.

Get a grip people.

/rant

In the life of Me, however, things are bright still. I was up early with the kids, sorting for school run and even ready early. Tam has been good as gold for me, and even under her rain cover out the worst of the rain and wind she was fine, happy and singing along.

I sent Jo a few texts, questions, sorting other stuff out, as well as sent and received some texts from friends making sure I'm ok. Headed back to Ruths and sat talking away. I was just talking - something I really don't do even when really depressed - the person I usually spoke with would be Jo, but that was sorta difficult ;)

The conversation went from everything to more focused things - namely, item number two on my life - interior decorating. See, when we got our flat, we had to move in ASAP, so we bought a job lot of paint and slapped it up, only decorating occasionally once inside. With the house, similar story - lots of the same colour of paint and sorted through the house.

Over the years, we've decorated extra - mostly paint, some paper, but due to my special nature of being colourblind, Jo would invariably chose colours, soft furnishings and suchlike. I was given the brush and the tin, and told where to slap the colour. But now, now it's different.

So I've got Ruth and Posh Totty helping me with colour charts, what goes with what, what looks nice and so on. Planning what to do where with what, how, who can help - fun.

Of course, when I say "fun" I mean "Holy shit and all that is stressy". I have an idea of what I want, but vocalising - whole different ball game. I'm aiming for light, airy, neutral - but not clinical. I like blues and greys, but I like earthy tones too. The first port of call, as it were, is the kitchen/dining room, which runs from the front to the back of the house, no division wall. I can see a cupboard being built into one of the "nooks" in there, and book shelves in a strange former-fireplace feature in the room...

So, looking through my colour charts, I am looking at a "stony" colour - grey, brown, sort of thing - hard to describe - for the walls. The ceiling will be white. New light fittings. New nets and curtains. The floor will have wood-effect tiles, as I cannot afford laminate regardless. The, skirting boards, door frames, kitchen cupboard doors I'm looking at a sort of light chocolatey brown. I'm thinking the shelves will be this colour as well, as sort of a feature in the dining room.

Now, the general consensus is positive, but I am still not sure. I need to get it straight in my head first. I think I also need to realise that I can do pretty much what I like with it. Usually when I do anything in the house, I discuss it with Jo first, and her power of veto applies.

It's a very strange feeling, making decisions with only people telling me "That will/won't go" and not "I don't like that". Not that Jo ever did - she's also there to help me as well and has offered her help too - an offer I will be taking up no doubt.

Anyway, I've had a good day - not great, as I've been suffering with wandering-mind-syndrome - but I am dealing and coping today. I've not really done a lot today as I am in all sorts of agony, but I don't need to kill myself each day.

Jo called earlier - she was talking to the Benefits Agency this morning, and they dropped yet another dirty great lump od spanner-shaped metal into the works. Despite me and Jo working things out, despite us remaining friends in constant contact and having joint-custody of the kids, she has been instructed that she must contact the Child Support Agency (CSA) and claim for maintenance from me. She explained we've made our own arrangements and that she didn't want to get them involved (as they are notoriously evil against people).

However, if she DOESN'T claim, she will have money stopped from her benefit. WHY I have no idea, but she called me up and had no idea what to do. I told her if it comes to it, that she SHOULD claim to prevent her losing money, and then we'll just say we are doing it. To make sure, though, I made sure she called the CSA and spoke with them.

Turns out they aren't quite the Ogres that people make them out to be. Nope, the lady she spoke to was very helpful and told Jo not to panic, as the form as a special section for private arrangements, she fills that out and writes that we are having joint custody, and sharing the costs and expenses, then that'll be taken into account and all should be rosy.

BUT it does raise an interesting point. The "system" has often been criticised for being very "on the womans side", and I never really believed it - until I got caught up in it. Jo calls one number - they do it all for her. I call one number, and get told to call eight others. Jo gets told to get the CSA on me. However, I'm told nothing - surely they should have told me to claim CSA from Jo as I have the kids too?

But, none the less, I won't let the buggers get me down. Me and Jo are working through our problems to make the best of both our lives and, most importantly, make the kids have great lives. Why does it seem there is so much red-tape, and so many hurdles in the way. We're working through it all, and people keep trying to make it harder.

Hurrah for those that are there for us. And sorry this is a long-winded one.

The Sun Came Out...

I do believe that since Christmas I have not "been well" for one single day. I feel tired, drained - exhausted - and the headache/sore throat/snottiness is getting very very boring now. However, aside from a few days of just vegging out on the sofa and, shockingly, sleeping during the day, I've been pressing on as best I can.

However, today, the sun is out and while I slept in for a stupid length of time - something else I don't do - I am taking advantage of the nice looking weather. All the curtains are open and I am bathed in sunlight. Granted I am freezing my nuts off, but none the less, the sun is nice.

Last night, we decided that we all fancied some pancakes. Well, aside from Tam - she doesn't like them, the little freak. So, I did something I have not done in a long time. I made a large batch. Yesterday was a long day, and I've been stressy and pissy all week, and didn't care what I ate.

And so Dan cooked. And tossed flipped pancakes for an eternity. And the plate of pancakes became a little mound, a heap, a pile, a tower...


That, folks, is a pile of 38 pancakes. There would have been more, but I got bored with the dregs in the bowl and poured three-pancakes worth of batter into the pan to save time.

The result? Jo, Jaysen and myself scarfing the worlds supply of pancakes. BUT don't think we're lardy fatties. No no, we left three. Which I might eat now.

Anyways, I am making the best of today - and prolly the weekend - before next week lands and saps my will ;)

And for the record, my new computer is completely set up to my liking - just getting used to Vista from XP, but it's not too different really. But it makes a nice change to play games without having a gale-force wind blowing around to keep it cool. It's nice to use a computer that works without randomly nosediving because I asked it to do something ;) You can see it here if you want, but it came from - strangely - a supermarket. A German-chain no less, that tends to sell rubbish.

Granted, it's not a supercomputer, but at the end of the day, it does what I want it to do, and it does it well. Warcraft, Half Life 2, Hellgate - it's all good!

Grey

While I am generally an up person, there's something about December to March the just makes me feel... Meh. Flat. Pah.

I think the fact it's Bethy birthday in January and her angel day in February, these dates don't help, and the current period - the end of January till the 21st February - just make me think of our stay in hospital and the various dates where things went to shit. What really doesn't help is the weather. There's something about England that is, frankly, just grey.

I get up for a school run and it's still kinda dawn, but grey. By the time we're out the house, it's lighter but still grey. Then throughout the day it's grey. Then it's school run #2 and it's still grey. Jaysen gets in, we potter around and it starts to get dark.

Being tired as well doesn't help matters, and the last couple of weeks have been Insomnia City which has driven me mad. Laying in bed and trying to fall asleep for ten hours before giving up and having another day...

As you can tell, I'm tired, I'm fed up, the weather is pissing me off and I'm just feeling deflated. I hate this time of the year. No doubt be prepared for gaps in my posting for a while...

Place Your Bets

The weather forecast for Basildonia and most of the country is currently "snow". And when I say "snow" I mean the look of a mince pie scattered with icing sugar, not "get out your plough and start digging".

So who wants to bet that the dusting of snow grinds the country to a halt. Schools closed because the heating suddenly breaks down. Trains delayed and cancelled because of slippery tracks. Flights delayed due to snow on the runway. Traffic chaos because of the "sudden" cold snap, and the rock salt on the road not being strong enough. Elderly people croaking in the sudden cold.

Because we're a country that can't handle any extreme of weather. We either suffer floods or droughts, winds, rains, storms, snow, hail...

Whooo, a moaning post already! But don't say I didn't warn you about the weather.

Boys Time!

With Christmas coming up faster than an alcoholics stomach contents, Jo has poodled off into the great wilds of England to beat the leaving hell out of people. Tam has been stolen by the mother in law, leaving me and Jaysen with the heating on, music up, jeans off.

Yes folks, it's boys weekend in once again.

Dinner will be a case of seven minutes of slaving at the microwave for each of us, fizzy drinks, booze and tea (for me) and whatever fluids are running around for the boy. Healthy snacks will include "Crisps" and "Chocolate" and maybe the dairy group representing with "Ice Cream". Jo left a large bar of Cadburys here which, I'm afraid, is being confiscated and closely examined for foreign bodies (in case she's been knocking off immigrants).

I might even manage a shower this week...

In other news, I found a site of "free stuff" which provided me with hours of pleasure. Samples of mundane stuff - soap, washing powder, make up, deodrant - to the interesting stuff - incontinence pads, colostomy bags, thermometers for elderly people... So I had great fun filling out the form with other peoples names and addresses.

Jo was rather pleased with her very own Paternity Testing Kit... At least she didn't try to stab me with it. Lucky for me, I was under the desk "untangling wires" so was safe from the worst of the fall out.

Anyways, Jo has gone, leaving me to it, while I brave the forces of the central heating, she's braving freezing fog, frost, ice, sleet, wind and rain... How DO I manage to get out of such "fun"...

Blockage!

Do you ever have those days where you really aren't sure what you should be doing, let alone what you want to be doing. Today is such a day here in Chez 0ddness. I should be doing some housework, but can't be arsed. I could be playing WoW, but haven't paid my subs this month.

And, of course, being Monday, I should be doing a Musical Monday, but have, er, Musical Monday Block. I've got a few songs I could use but aren't grabbing me. I have a couple of posts I should be working on, but don't have the oompf to finish them.

I hate it when I get a case of the Can't Be Arseds, and it seems to strike more this time of year. I blame the weather - that's a British thing to do. While the sun is out at the moment, the sky is getting grey and gross-looking. It was raining all weekend, and the rain hammering on the window kept me aware.

Whine bitch moan piss.

Lucky for me, misery loves company, so I am helping out one of my sexy friends with a game because they had a crappy weekend. I'm search a good person!

The Skies Opened...

So today was "wet", and when I say "wet" I mean "it was absolutely pissing it down from dawn till dusk". And yes, I got caught in it.

Twice.

This morning wasn't so bad - Jaysen got up late, rushed him out the door, got to Ruths who I also had to rush out the door, got to school, ditched the kids, got home, job done. Not too wet.

This afternoon, however, was a completely different story. Got Ruth, went to school, and were soaked before we even got there. Her youngest was out a few minutes late, so we got soaked waiting for her. Sorry, further soaked. Then the junior school - Jaysen and Ashley - was a nightmare. We get letters constantly reminding us the kids need to be in school promptly by 8.40am or there will be hell to pay. School kicks out at 3.05pm. Me, Ruth and her little one were standing in the pissing rain till just after 3.15pm.

We were completely and utterly soaked through. My coat leaked, my jeans were soaked, my hair holds water like a sponge. Jaysen was soaked before he even got to the school gate, and Ashley was having a "Who Can Keep Their Hood Down" competition with a friend, so she was soaked too.

Now, aside from the fact they built a "shelter" last year that holds just a dozen mums with their over-sized rain-cover-fitted buggies, everyone was getting wet and pissed off. No, our biggest gripe is the fact that if the kids get sick from getting drenched with their coats open/off, we the parents get bitched and moaned at for not ensuring our kids are in school every day.

Like everything else in this bloody country, it's become about The Mighty Stats And Figures and nothing else. They aren't bothered if the kids are sick, they moan and send shitty letters. If they suffer from puking or the craps (I know, but I'm in a mood), they have to stay off a further 24 hours since their last "episode". So Jaysen, poorly last Monday, was right as rain Tuesday - but because he'd been sick Monday morning, he had to stay off Tuesday too.

Part of me is considering informing the school that Jaysen will be having 15 minutes detention in the morning because he was 15 minutes late out. See how they bloody like it.

And maybe I'll pour a bucket of water over them and make them stand in the rain while they wait for him, just like the rest of us soaked-to-the-skin parents did this afternoon...

Edit: Hope getting soaked in your teeny tiny hood doesn't get your germs back Laney ;)

Death of a Season

In the space of just a couple of days, the weather has well and truly turned. What was just a typical British Summer has blown out into a wet autumn. The leaves on the tress along Long Riding (something seems wrong with that sentance!) are all rapidly switching from greens to yellows and reds, and the horrible north wind is dragging them off the branches and throwing them all over the place.

And let's not forget the rain being pushed by afore-mentioned wind.

And once again, the Met Office is predicting "One of the worst winters ever", just like they have done for the last few years. I mean, they will have to get it right eventually won't they... I think all we managed last year was a good frost!

Otherwise in Chez 0ddness, the germs are still a-lingering. I'm just drained and empty, while Jo is now in bed hibernating feeling icky sick. On top of her Man Made Germs, she is also coming down with the dreaded She-Bug that visits once a month.

Gulp.

As it occurs to me I missed Musical Monday (from being a mixture of tired, sick, and unused to being home!) I figured I would post this rather amusing semi-musical clip. Stuart, pay attention here...


So, we say "Cya!" to Summer, and crack out the brooms to greet the Autumn leaves piling up everywhere...

I Am Somebody!

'Twas a cold, wet and windy morning at the end February when it happened. After wandering around the web pressing buttons, He finally found it, entered the Mystical Money Giving Number, and as if by magic, he arrived where he wanted to be.

Or, in other words, I bought a domain name this morning. www.0ddness.co.uk now belongs to me, and I am waiting for some junk to catch up with everything and then, Whammo! Aren't I the clever little potato. I've been toying with doing for a while, and decided this morning that I would go for it. I've only gone for the name and not the space, so this is all still living on Blogger (because I am lazy, mostly), but in a couple of days, you can get to me with the friendlier URL.

According to the WHOIS database, I am official now:

- Domain name:
0ddness.co.uk

- Registrant:
Dan English

- Registrant type:
Not supplied

- Registrant's address:
xxx
Basildon
Essex
xxx
United Kingdom

- Registrant's agent:
Namesco Limited [Tag = NAMESCO]
URL: http://www.names.co.uk

- Relevant dates:
Registered on: 28-Feb-2007
Renewal date: 28-Feb-2009

- Registration status:
Registration request being processed.

I know I harp on about it, but remember, the word 0ddness starts with a Zero, not the letter "O". Because people still Google "oddness.blogspot.com", which is a blog 5 years out of date.

And speaking of googling to find me...

Jenny over at Flawed & Disorderly has a lot to answer for with her Wolf Crotch. Bless. I imagine that keeping ones personal life personal is something she is learning this week! hehe

And yes, the weather this morning sucks. I got soaked and my hair got all windswept. Stupid weather. Now I've got to brush it again!

Weather - Englands Achilles Heel

If you live in England, you know damn well what I am about to rant about. If you happen to read news from the UK, then you probably know. If you know someone over here that you've already spoken to, then you most certainly know what I am about to rant about...

Welcome to England chaps. It's February. Winter. Cold. Why the buggery does this country go mental over snow, wind, rain, fog, heat and any other kind of weather? Last night, between 4am and 6am, the heavens opened and the country was blanketed in wet snow. Not fluffy, light powder, but wet snow. And the media went mad, the roads and airports went mad, schools went mad - and on and on.

Here in Basildon, we had a grand total of four inches. Maybe five in "drifts". Inches, not feet, not yards, not meters. Roads are closed nationwide, outlets like the BBC and Sky News, plus local and national radio stations are reporting on the "Snow Chaos". Teachers are "unable to get into work" because of the snow, and so school are closed. Except Jaysens hehe. Parents are keeping kids off school because it's "too dangerous to go out", then proceed to wrap up junior and tell him to piss off out and play in the snow while it lasts.

It's not even 1pm and it's already melting. It wasn't even cold out this morning. Yes, the roads were a bit gross, but with people driving like prats, it's no wonder there were accidents left right and center. And when I say "Accidents" I mean cars skidding into each other at low speeds. Sliiiiiide-bump-shit. The airports in southern England were closed this morning and are slowly reopening.

And now! NOW it's melting, the weather reports are for sleet/rain this afternoon, which will all freeze tonight in cold temperatures. Minus three to minus six centigrade, not the minus double figures some countries have. Anyway, the stuff melting tonight will freeze and create ice everywhere tomorrow. Which means more "Winter Chaos" and more schools closed and more kids off home because parents don't want to risk falling over... Parents put their kids in stupid fricking "fashionable" shoes, and wonder why the kids has wet feet after a hundred yards of walking. It's snow - it's frozen water, THAT'S why! Jaysen has - like his father - a pair of clomping stomping boots. Decent grips, waterproof, well made. He loves them. HIS feet aren't wet. Granted, he slips on his shadow, but still, common sense, people!

What is it about England? Honestly, at the risk of sounding like a real old bastard, I remember when I was a kid, we had lots of snow, and we used to trudge to and from school, play out in it at break time, get cold and wet, get a cold, slip and bump out elbows, and people would slog to and from work rain or shine. And yet here we are with a fricking dusting, and it all goes pearshaped. And you can bet it's because of the "ooooh be careful!" Nanny State with people suing everyone else because they fell in the snow. "The council should have gritted the pavements" or "The weather report was inaccurate" or whatever. Junior falls in the playground, it's the schools fault because the kids should be off school. Junior gets a cold - schools fault, heating was too low.

And on and on.

Honestly, I could rant and rave about this for HOURS. What are the British public turning into when four inches of snow stops everything. There were even the classic PANIC BUY BREAD! sorts in the bakers this morning. I'm watching snow melt, and there are people in front of me buying six loaves of bread in case they get snowed in.

Snowed In?! Put your boots on and WALK to the shops fifteen minutes down the road you bloody paranoid idiot.

Come on England, grow a backbone, wrap up warm, drive carefully, and stop wishing Summer were here already. I'm looking at you, gaggle of mothers around the school gate at 8.40am. The very same mothers that were crying about how hot last summer was, and "wouldn't it be nice if we could have some snow".

GAH!

On the bright side, thanks to Bethy for making lots of snow for Tam to play in - she loved it this morning. Miguel, the tiny spanish midget-dog - well, he was not impressed. So Jo, in her wisdom, bought the little man a hoody. A little jacket with sleeves and a hood. Miguel, while looking like a prat, is now happy to go out and use the toilet. Bless. Photo later, unless I die in an Avalanche, freeze to death, or my dog-sled falls into an Arctic precipice.

Oooh My Head

Here's how out of it I've been of late... Bear in mind I usually post when something even as far from interesting as you get happens, I've missed a few key moments of late.

The Weather:
Yes, England had snow, and while the north got a fair few inches, the rest of us got a mere dusting. Once again, in True Brit fashion, the country ground to a halt. Cars abandoned, roads closed, train services and airlines not running... Oh, and all spread across the front pages of everything. It didn't even stay on the ground for more than 36 hours!

The Telly:
Celeb Big Brother and it's racism row. I don't watch it at the best of times, let alone when it's the celeb version. But it's all that the press has been squealing about of late. Bless.

Tamsyn:
Has used the potty. Has also started coming out with occasional words that you can hear mixed in with the babble-blabble.

Me:
Got a call last week from the surgery - seems the optician was worried about my constant headaches and very-regular migraines, and wanted me referred to the Neurological Unit in Hospital. Yikes. Doctor wanted to see me first, see what was what, and I went today...

Lovely woman, filling in for my current doctor who is on suspension for "Out of date practices". Woot. Anyway, I went into great detail about my headaches, how they start, how they go, how they last, what happens, etc etc. Seems I have a extra-high rate of Migraine with Aura, and we're starting on yet another kind of medication that could help, and if not, we try another, then another, and maybe a preventative instead of a curative. All very interesting stuff, and has answered a lot of questions, especially the "Aura" part, which are something else that comes along as sort of a warning sign.

So I can rest easy and not worry about what's happening inside my noggin. Now when I get a Migraine, I have to pop a Sumatriptan tablet, and if it doesn't help, another 2 hours later. If that doesn't help, tough - no more for 24 hours!

Jo had another meeting with her bereavement councillor this morning and I was there with her, sort of out the way while I read the info on my head. Woman is lovely, and after a while, she started chatting to me. I felt like I was intruding, but both Jo and her were happy for me to be there. I spoke about some stuff, and we discussed a few bits and bobs that seem to make sense, but I will leave that to Jo to post about. Needless to say, we spoke about some more hard stuff once again, but I can understand what she was talking about.

And lastly - I've been saving up all the Meme thingies from the last month to hit out in one fel-swoop. While Christine has done one, Cass has been a busy (bored!) little bunny and done a load. So the post after this one is VERY long winded!

And as a side note, has it ever occured to anyone that these Meme things could be used for nefarious deeds, such as burglary or identity theft? If you read enough from one person, you can put together a pretty good picture of hours they keep, where they go and who they are with, personal family information, what you have of value, important dates and anniversaries...

Or is that just my paranoia striking? Give it a thought ;)

It's A Bit Damp...

Yuck. To say "I just got caught in a storm" would be a serious fricking understatement. As all Brits know, the whole country is under severe weather warnings for today and the next few days. If I hadn't watched any news, weather report or anything else, I would have STILL known this, but the fact things keep blowing past the windows, there are dead trees over, fence panels missing - generally horrible wind.

But just as I stepped out the front door to do the afternoon school run, someone decided it'd be amusing to add rain into the mix. Rain I can handle. High winds I can handle. Mix the two though, and it's just... wow. My storm jacket soaked through, my jeans soaked through onto my boxers, my trainers leaked through onto my socks.

Honestly, I am sitting here freeing cold, hair tied back and wet, no jeans just boxers. My coat and shoes are in the airing cupboard. And no doubt I'll have to do it all again tomorrow morning.

In other news, I am on the webcam around about now. My hair is tied back, but thanks to Camstreams lowering the quality of the stream, it's too grainy to make out my new glasses!

Yes, my new glasses are now in my posession, and it's amazing how much of a novelty it is to read far-off signs without having to squint. I can see faces in crowds, I can read labels, and I can read my screen without having to slouch forwards! hehehe I'll try get some pictures up a bit later - might have to get Jo to take the pictures if I can handle it, being that I am as photogenic as a dogs bumhole.

Random Musings

Wow, is it seriously Christmas is just four days? You know what, I am actually sort of looking forward to it this year. Generally, I've never been much of an Xmas person, especially since being an adult, but fingers crossed this is going to be a good one.

All is cold and frosty here in Sunny Basildon. At least, I assume it is, as the fog is preventing me seeing much. Needless to say I got out of bed to go to the loo and shot downstairs to my friend the thermostat. Less Brrrr, More Ahhh. I was up at six this morning, wandering the web, checking mails, doing my usual daily rituals. However, I didn't need to perform said-rituals, as Jaysens last day at school was yesterday. That, and his grandparents kidnapped him last night so he could stay at theirs. They were over last night, and upon leaving at 1130pm, Jaysen went with them.

Buh-bye now, cya later!

So, with no school, I could have slept in till ten, eleven this morning. But that's the realm of women-sorts. Us long-haired manly men are up with the, er, rooster (guess which word I almost used there!) playing on our computers, drinking tea. And building barns. And stuff.

Checking the StatCounter this morning showed someone searching for "badger minge song video", not to mention "Yaar Har Fiddle-de-Dee!" seems popular again. Not sure what I am dribbling on about? Well my friend, educate yourself.

StatCounter has also been showing me something interesting over the last few weeks. The site that is referring me more than any other is... Other Emmas Cbox? Sometimes Joansy gets close, and occasionally Mark or the old blog URL, but it is ALWAYS that particular Cbox at the top. Very 0dd.

Also in the World a la Dan, this bloody great desk is doing my head in, so we're shifting it off to a friend over the weekend and getting me a new, smaller one. I want to see out the window, mainly, but this desk block a third of that and it's set too-far back. Fussy eh? hehe

Now I just need to shift this absolute bitch of a headache sometime soon. Bloody thing won't leave me alone.

Oh, forgot to add. For you American-sorts: Boxing Day. Usually the day after Xmas Day, but as for it's origins, it seems we don't know ourselves... I found a Wikipedia entry for you to read over, but some of you English/Convict sorts might want to check it too, to see why we get an extra day of Christmas!

As much as I hate to bitch and moan about the weather (as you may recall from the summer!) the weather over the last few days has left me completely bemused and confused. Several weeks ago, the "smart-arses" over at Sky News announced that this winter would be one of the worse ever, with Arctic conditions, snowstorms, ice storms, blizzards - all making life hazardous for the average Brit.

Of course, the days and weeks went by, and the winter, well, it didn't do anything, and the story was removed from the Sky News webpage. We've had a few nippy mornings, a few wet nights, but for the start of December, it's WARM if anything. So, three days ago, the "smart-arses" over at Sky decided to announce that we're having one of the warmest Decembers ever, not to mention, night-before-last was the hottest December night ever on record.

The news on the TV has been similar, with reports of a multitude of plants still in bloom, trees still with leaves, and other oddities. Even our Butterfly Bush at the front of the house is in FULL bloom despite a few nippy nights.

So, the last few days. England seems to have had a few Tornados strike, including one in north London this afternoon. This morning, the sun was out, the weather was sunny - blowy, but sunny. Half eleven, the sky darkened, and we had a roaring thunderstorm, complete with fricking great lumps of hail - followed by more brilliant sunshine. Then, school run this afternoon, the skies opened, the winds picked up and I had forgotten to tie my hair back. I got soaked and knotted - it's so long now, the wind just ties knots in it - so it took me half an hour to brush it out again.

So, what's in store for the winter now? We've had arctic and mild warnings, the weather today is like an autumn storm, but now they are repeating the arctic winter warnings.

Welcome to England, I suppose!

Spoke Too Soon

After taking the photos yesterday and gloating about how nice our weather is, the sky darkened, the clouds opened, and it set about raining with real intent to make up for lost time. Which, of course, meant I got wet on the afternoon school run. Figures.

Yesterday I spent between flicking around games, chatting on MSN, and going out for dinner - during which time I was entertained (and entertaining) via text. I'd be lost without my phone! Once home, it was back on MSN till late, when I finally hit the sack - and couldn't sleep. Surprise surprise eh ;)

Lucky for me, Ruth and Paul took Jaysen to school, so that made life easier - I had a wash, did my teeth, threw on my clothes, and have kinda... sat. I spent ages yesterday trying to find that bloody cable to extend the Camera, but cannot figure where I put it. I had a sneaking suspicion I leant it out to someone that needed it - but now have no idea who, when or where.

So, I'm contemplating shifting my computer and desk around a bit today, seeing where and how I can move it and suchlike. Not looking forward to such fun, but it gives me something to do. I'm actually still aching since the weekend, so we'll see how it goes. Jo is going to her parents today - maybe with or without Tam, which will be a big decider. She's going to look at, and maybe get, a new tattoo - but we shall see.

Room With A View

This room faces north, and as mentioned the nearest road is way off in the distance. Most of the area out the back is garden after garden, all meeting together in a central area. Between here and the direction you're facing, there's not a whole lot - a massive tree that snapped in half during a storm, gardens, sheds, a flash bastard with a swimming pool right behind us. Other than that, life out the back is much more peaceful, quiet and tranquil compared to the front of the house - but might make for boring webcammage.

As you can see, the weather here today is clear and sunny - it's not even cold! I popped to the shops in just a teeshirt (plus clothes, you sick gits). Of course, I almost feel sorry for those that are suffering with torrential rain, gale force winds and flooding. Almost... heh